U.S. patent application number 12/054892 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-18 for method and apparatus for presenting and controlling information for managing an event.
Invention is credited to Thierry E. Klein, John F. Lertola, Dorel Livescu.
Application Number | 20080311894 12/054892 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40132811 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080311894 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Klein; Thierry E. ; et
al. |
December 18, 2008 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRESENTING AND CONTROLLING INFORMATION FOR
MANAGING AN EVENT
Abstract
The invention includes a method and apparatus for displaying and
controlling information for managing an event. A method according
to one embodiment includes displaying accountability information
associated with a unit deployed to the event where the
accountability information is indicative of accountability of the
unit with respect to at least one function to be performed for the
event, displaying communication information in a manner for
facilitating communications for the event, and displaying status
information associated with the at least one unit deployed to the
event, wherein the information is displayed in a manner tending to
enable control of the information for managing the event.
Inventors: |
Klein; Thierry E.; (Fanwood,
NJ) ; Lertola; John F.; (Lebanon, NJ) ;
Livescu; Dorel; (Marlboro, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PATTERSON & SHERIDAN, LLP/;LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC
595 SHREWSBURY AVENUE
SHREWSBURY
NJ
07702
US
|
Family ID: |
40132811 |
Appl. No.: |
12/054892 |
Filed: |
March 25, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60934666 |
Jun 15, 2007 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/414.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 41/22 20130101;
H04L 41/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/414.2 |
International
Class: |
H04M 3/42 20060101
H04M003/42 |
Claims
1. A method for displaying and controlling information for managing
an event, comprising: displaying accountability information
associated with a unit deployed to the event, wherein the
accountability information is indicative of accountability of the
unit with respect to at least one function to be performed for the
event; displaying communication information in a manner for
facilitating communications for the event; and displaying status
information associated with the at least one unit deployed to the
event; wherein the information is displayed in a manner tending to
enable control of the information for managing the event.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the accountability information
associated with the unit comprises location information indicative
of a location at which the unit is currently operating.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication information
comprises a calling group to which the unit is assigned.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the calling group is displayed in
conjunction with the accountability information
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the calling group is selectable
for communicating with a plurality of members assigned to the
calling group.
6. The method of claim 3, wherein the calling group is configured
in a manner enabling communications between each of a plurality of
members of the calling group.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed communication
information comprises a broadcast communications initiation means,
wherein the broadcast communications initiation means is selectable
for communicating with all individuals deployed to the event.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed status information
comprises at least one of at least one video stream, location
tracking information, and monitoring status information.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving the status
information from at least one device associated with the unit
deployed to the event.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the status information
comprises: receiving at least one video stream from at least one
video camera.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the status information
comprises: receiving monitoring status information from at least
one monitoring device.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying at least
one location tracking graphic for the event.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the information in a
manner tending to enable control of the information for managing
the event comprises: displaying the accountability information in a
manner tending to enable rapid redeployment of at least one unit at
the event.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the information in a
manner tending to enable control of the information for managing
the event comprises: displaying the communication information in a
manner tending to enable modification of communications
capabilities at the event.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein modification of communications
capabilities at the event comprises: displaying the communication
information in a manner tending to enable rapid reassignment of the
unit from a first calling group to a second calling group.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein reassignment of the unit from
the first calling group to the second calling group initiates a
reconfiguration of at least one network communication channel.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein each calling group is
selectable for initiating communications with each of a plurality
of persons associated with the unit.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the information in a
manner tending to enable control of the information for managing
the event comprises: displaying the status information in
conjunction with the accountability information and the
communication information to enable thereby a change to the
accountability of at least a portion of the unit, based on at least
a portion of the displayed status information, using at least a
portion of the displayed communication information.
19. An apparatus for displaying and controlling information for
managing an event, comprising: means for displaying accountability
information associated with a unit deployed to the event, wherein
the accountability information is indicative of accountability of
the unit with respect to at least one function to be performed for
the event; means for displaying communication information in a
manner for facilitating communications for the event; and means for
displaying status information associated with the at least one unit
deployed to the event; wherein the information is displayed in a
manner tending to enable control of the information for managing
the event.
20. A computer-readable medium storing a software program, which,
when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a
method for displaying and controlling information for managing an
event, the method comprising the steps of: displaying
accountability information associated with a unit deployed to the
event, wherein the accountability information is indicative of
accountability of the unit with respect to at least one function to
be performed for the event; displaying communication information in
a manner for facilitating communications for the event; and
displaying status information associated with the at least one unit
deployed to the event; wherein the information is displayed in a
manner tending to enable control of the information for managing
the event.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/934,666, filed Jun. 15, 2007, which is
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to the field of communication networks
and, more specifically, to wireless networks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Emergency response organizations increasingly depend on
wireless communication technology to provide communication during
emergencies. Disadvantageously, however, emergencies often result
in damage to, or sometimes even destruction of, existing network
infrastructure, thereby preventing communications between emergency
personnel. In other words, the existing communications
infrastructure lacks survivability. Furthermore, even if portions
of the existing communications infrastructure do survive the
emergency, the existing communications infrastructure may not be
able to handle the increased traffic load typical during
emergencies. Specifically, remaining portions of the existing
communication infrastructure may be overloaded as emergency
personnel, and the general public, attempt various types of
communications. Such deficiencies became clear during the events of
Sep. 11, 2001, and again during the events of Hurricane
Katrina.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Various deficiencies in the prior art are addressed through
a method and apparatus for displaying and controlling information
for managing an event. In one embodiment, a method includes
displaying accountability information associated with a unit that
is deployed to the event where the accountability information is
indicative of accountability of the unit with respect to at least
one function to be performed for the event, displaying
communication information in a manner for facilitating
communications for the event, and displaying status information
associated with the at least one unit deployed to the event,
wherein the information is displayed in a manner tending to enable
control of the information for managing the event.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The teachings of the present invention can be readily
understood by considering the following detailed description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0006] FIG. 1 depicts a standalone 91-NOW communication network
architecture that is independent of any existing network
infrastructure;
[0007] FIG. 2 depicts an integrated 911-NOW communication network
architecture that utilizes a 911-NOW mesh network and an existing
network infrastructure;
[0008] FIG. 3 depicts a high-level block diagram of one embodiment
of a 911-NOW node;
[0009] FIG. 4 depicts the standalone 911-NOW communication network
architecture of FIG. 1 including a Portable Electronic Command
Board (PECB);
[0010] FIG. 5 depicts a high-level block diagram of a user
interface of the PECB of FIG. 4;
[0011] FIG. 6 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the UNITS
tab selected;
[0012] FIG. 7 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON SITE
tab selected;
[0013] FIG. 8 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON SITE
and VIDEO tabs selected;
[0014] FIG. 9 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON SITE
and TRACKING tabs selected;
[0015] FIG. 10 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON
SITE and SENSORS tabs selected;
[0016] FIG. 11 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON
SITE and SENSORS tabs selected;
[0017] FIG. 12 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON
SITE and APPLICATIONS tabs selected;
[0018] FIG. 13 depicts a method according to one embodiment;
and
[0019] FIG. 14 depicts a high-level block diagram of a
general-purpose computer suitable for use in performing the
functions described herein.
[0020] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals
have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements
that are common to the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The present invention is described within the context a
rapidly deployable wireless network (denoted herein as a 911
network on wheels, i.e., 911-NOW); however, the present invention
is applicable to RF transmit power adjustments performed in various
other wireless networks that may or may not be rapidly deployable
networks. A 911-NOW network is formed by placing a 911-NOW node(s)
on a mobile platform(s) such that when the mobile platform(s) is
dispatched to a network site, the 911-NOW node(s) provides a
wireless communication network. As described herein, one or more
911-NOW nodes may be deployed to form a wireless network. The
911-NOW network may be a standalone wireless network that is
independent of existing network infrastructure or an integrated
wireless network that utilizes existing network infrastructure.
[0022] FIG. 1 depicts a standalone 911-NOW communication network
architecture that is independent of any existing network
infrastructure. Specifically, standalone 911-NOW communication
network architecture 100 includes a plurality of 911-NOW nodes
110.sub.A-110.sub.G (collectively, 911-NOW nodes 110) supporting
wireless communications at an emergency site 101. The standalone
911-NOW communication network architecture 100 provides a
fully-functional network since each of the 911-NOW nodes 110
supports radio access network (RAN) functions, core networking
functions, and services. As depicted in FIG. 1, each of the 911-NOW
nodes 110 is placed or mounted on a mobile platform and transported
to emergency site 101. The 911-NOW nodes 110 form a wireless
network at emergency site 101.
[0023] The emergency site 101 may be any location or combination of
locations at which a wireless network is required. The emergency
site 101 may be a localized site, a collection of localized sites,
a widespread site, a collection of widespread sites, and the like,
as well as various combinations thereof. For example, emergency
site 101 may be a single location, multiple locations within a town
or city, or even span one or more counties, states, countries, or
even continents. The 911-NOW network is not limited by the scope of
the emergency site. The emergency site 101 may be associated with
any type of emergency. For example, emergency site 101 may be
associated with a natural disaster (e.g., a flood, a hurricane, a
tornado, and the like), a manmade disaster (e.g., a chemical spill,
a terrorist attack, and the like), and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof.
[0024] As depicted in FIG. 1, emergency personnel (denoted herein
as users 102 of the 911-NOW network 100) have responded to the
emergency. The users 102 are performing various different functions
at different areas of emergency site 101. For example, the users
102 may be containing the disaster, participating in evacuation
operations, participating in search and rescue operations, and the
like, as well as various combinations thereof. The users 102 use
equipment in responding to the emergency, including equipment
capable of receiving and sending information wirelessly (denoted
herein as wireless user devices 104 of users 102). The wireless
user devices 104 include communication equipment. The wireless user
devices 104 also may include various other types of emergency
equipment (depending on the type of emergency, severity of the
emergency, logistics of the emergency site, and various other
factors).
[0025] The wireless user devices 104 may include wireless devices
carried by emergency personnel for communicating with other
emergency personnel (e.g., other emergency personnel at the
emergency site, other emergency personnel not at the emergency
site, and the like), receiving information for use in dealing with
situations at the emergency site, collecting information at the
emergency site, monitoring conditions at the emergency site, and
the like, as well as various combinations thereof. For example,
wireless user devices 104 may include devices such as mobile
phones, walkie-talkies, wireless headsets, personal digital
assistants, laptops, and the like, as well as various combinations
thereof.
[0026] The wireless user devices 104 may include other equipment
which may be used at emergency site 101. For example, wireless user
devices 104 may include video cameras, monitors (e.g., for
monitoring breathing, pulse, and other characteristics of emergency
responders; for monitoring temperature, precipitation, and other
environmental characteristics of the emergency site; and the like),
sensors (e.g., for detecting air-quality changes, for detecting the
presence of chemical or biological agents, for detecting radiation
levels, and the like), and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof. The wireless user devices 104 may include any
other equipment which may be useful to users 102 at emergency site
101.
[0027] With respect to detectors, sensors, and other similar
devices, wireless user devices may include audio detectors (e.g.,
which can detect when a user begins speaking, which can detect
various different noises, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof), motion detectors, health monitors (e.g., for
monitoring breathing, heart rate, temperature, and the like, as
well as various combinations thereof), environmental sensors (e.g.,
sound sensors, temperature sensors, heat sensors, pressure sensors,
light sensors, proximity sensors, sensors capable of detecting
biological agents, sensors capable of detecting chemical agents,
sensors capable of detecting radiation, and the like), and the
like, as well as various combinations thereof.
[0028] The wireless user devices 104 may be utilized by users 102
at the emergency site 101 in various different ways. The wireless
user devices 104 may be carried by users 102. For example, users
102 may carry mobile phones, video cameras, and the like. The
wireless user devices 104 may be affixed to uniforms worn by users
102 and/or other equipment carrier by users 102. For example,
wireless headsets may be built into helmets worn by users 102,
sensors and monitors may be built into or affixed to uniforms worn
by users 102, and the like. The wireless user devices 104 may be
deployed at the emergency site (e.g., video cameras positioned at
specific locations at the emergency site, sensors and/or monitors
deployed at specific locations of the emergency site, and the
like). The wireless user devices 104 may be used in various other
ways at emergency site 101.
[0029] As depicted in FIG. 1, a 911-NOW-based network is
established at the emergency site 101 by deploying 911-NOW nodes
110 (illustratively, 911-NOW nodes 110.sub.A-110.sub.G) to
emergency site 101. The 911-NOW nodes 110 may be deployed using
mobile platforms. The 911-NOW nodes 110 may be deployed using
standalone mobile platforms. For example, 911-NOW nodes 110 may be
placed in backpacks, suitcases, and like mobile cases which may be
carried by individuals. The 911-NOW nodes 110 may be deployed using
mobile vehicles, including land-based vehicles, sea-based vehicles,
and/or air-based vehicles. For example, 911-NOW nodes may be placed
(and/or mounted) on police cars, swat trucks, fire engines,
ambulances, humvees, boats, helicopters, blimps, airplanes,
unmanned drones, satellites, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof. The 911-NOW nodes 110 may be deployed using
various other mobile platforms.
[0030] As depicted in FIG. 1, 911-NOW node 110.sub.A is deployed
using a fire engine, 911-NOW node 110.sub.B is deployed using a
fire engine, 911-NOW node 110.sub.C is deployed using a fire
engine, 911-NOW node 110.sub.D is deployed as a standalone node,
911-NOW node 110.sub.E is deployed using a blimp, 911-NOW node
110.sub.F is deployed as a standalone node, and 911-NOW node
110.sub.G is deployed using a fire engine. The inherent mobility of
911-NOW nodes 110 enables quick and flexible deployment of a
wireless network as needed (e.g., when, where, and how the wireless
network is needed), thereby providing scalable capacity and
coverage on-demand as required by the emergency personnel. Since
each 911-NOW node 110 supports RAN functions, core networking
functions, and various services, deployment of even one 911-NOW
node produces a fully-functional wireless network.
[0031] As depicted in FIG. 1, the 911-NOW nodes 110 support
wireless communications for wireless user devices 104 (denoted
herein as wireless access communications). The wireless access
communications include wireless communications between a 911-NOW
node 110 and wireless user devices served by that 911-NOW node 110.
A 911-NOW node 110 includes one or more wireless access interfaces
supporting wireless communications for wireless user devices 104
using respective wireless access connections 111 established
between wireless user devices 104 and 911-NOW nodes 110. The
911-NOW nodes 110 further support mobility of user devices 104 at
emergency site 101 such that, as users 102 move around emergency
site 101, communication sessions between wireless user devices 104
of those users 102 and 911-NOW nodes 110 are seamlessly transferred
between 911-NOW nodes 110.
[0032] As depicted in FIG. 1, the 911-NOW nodes 110 support
wireless communications between 911-NOW nodes 110 (denoted herein
as wireless mesh communications). The wireless mesh communications
include wireless communications between 911-NOW nodes, including
information transported between wireless user devices 104, control
information exchanged between 911-NOW nodes 110, and the like, as
well as various combinations thereof. A 911-NOW node 110 includes
one or more wireless mesh interfaces supporting wireless
communications with one or more other 911-NOW nodes 110. The
wireless mesh communications between 911-NOW nodes 110 are
supported using wireless mesh connections 112 established between
911-NOW nodes 110.
[0033] As depicted in FIG. 1, the following pairs of 911-NOW nodes
110 communicate using respective wireless mesh connections 112:
911-NOW nodes 110.sub.A and 110.sub.B, 911-NOW nodes 110.sub.A and
110.sub.C, 911-NOW nodes 110.sub.A and 110.sub.D, 911-NOW nodes
110.sub.B and 110.sub.C, 911-NOW nodes 110.sub.C and 110.sub.D,
911-NOW nodes 110.sub.B and 110.sub.E, 911-NOW nodes 110.sub.C and
110.sub.F, 911-NOW nodes 110.sub.D and 110.sub.G, 911-NOW nodes
110.sub.E and 110.sub.F, and 911-NOW nodes 110.sub.F and 110.sub.G.
As such, 911-NOW nodes 110 of FIG. 1 communicate to form a wireless
mesh network. Although a specific wireless mesh configuration is
depicted and described with respect to FIG. 1, 911-NOW nodes 110
may communicate to form various other wireless mesh configurations,
and mesh configurations may be modified in real-time as conditions
change.
[0034] As depicted in FIG. 1, the 911-NOW nodes 110 support
wireless communications for one or more management devices 105
(denoted herein as wireless management communications). The
wireless management communications include wireless communications
between a 911-NOW node 110 and a management device(s) 105 served by
that 911-NOW node 110. A 911-NOW node 110 includes one or more
wireless management interfaces supporting wireless communications
for management device(s) 105. The wireless management
communications between management device 105 and 911-NOW node
110.sub.D are supported using a wireless management connection 113
established between management device 105 and 911-NOW node
110.sub.D.
[0035] The management device 105 is operable for configuring and
controlling standalone 911-NOW network 100. For example, management
device 105 may be used to configure and reconfigure one or more of
the 911-NOW nodes 110, control access to the 911-NOW nodes, control
functions and services supported by the 911-NOW nodes 110, upgrade
911-NOW nodes 110, perform element/network management functions for
individual 911-NOW nodes or combinations of 911-NOW nodes (e.g.,
fault, performance, and like management functions) and the like, as
well as various combinations thereof. The management device 105 may
be implemented using existing devices (e.g., laptops, PDAs, and the
like), or using a newly-designed device adapted to support such
management functions. The management device 105 may connect to one
or more 911-NOW nodes 110 directly and/or indirectly using wireline
and/or wireless interfaces.
[0036] The 911-NOW nodes 110 support wireless communications using
one or more wireless technologies. For wireless access
communications, each 911-NOW node 110 may support one or more
different wireless technologies, such as Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS),
Evolution--Data Optimized (1.times.EV-DO), Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access
(HSDPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX),
and the like. For wireless mesh communications, each 911-NOW node
110 may support Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) or WiMAX technology,
microwave technologies, or any other wireless technology. For
wireless management communications, each 911-NOW node 110 may
support one or more such cellular technologies, and, further, may
support WiFi technology, Bluetooth technology, or any other
wireless technology.
[0037] The wireless communications supported by 911-NOW nodes 110
convey user information, control information, and the like, as well
as various combinations thereof. For example, user information may
include voice communications (e.g., voice calls, audio conferences,
push-to-talk, and the like), data communications (e.g., text-based
communications, high-speed data downloads/uploads, file transfers,
and the like), video communications (e.g., video broadcasts,
conferencing, and the like), multimedia communications, and the
like, as well as various combinations thereof. The communications
supported by 911-NOW nodes 110 may convey various combinations of
content, e.g., audio, text, image, video, multimedia, and the like,
as well as various combinations thereof. For example, control
information may include network configuration information, network
control information, management information and the like, as well
as various combinations thereof. Thus, 911-NOW nodes 110 support
wireless communication of any information.
[0038] Although a specific number of 911-NOW nodes 110 is depicted
and described as being deployed to form a 911-NOW network, fewer or
more 911-NOW nodes may be deployed to form a 911-NOW network
supporting communications required to provide an effective
emergency response. Similarly, although a specific configuration of
911-NOW nodes 110 is depicted and described as being deployed to
form a 911-NOW network, 911-NOW nodes may be deployed in various
other configurations (including different locations at one
emergency site or across multiple emergency sites, different
combinations of mesh connections between 911-NOW nodes, and the
like, as well as various combinations thereof) to form a standalone
911-NOW network supporting RAN functions, CORE networking
functions, and various services supporting communications to
provide an effective emergency response.
[0039] As described herein, although one or more 911-NOW nodes 110
are capable of forming a fully-functional standalone mesh wireless
network without relying on existing infrastructure (fixed or
variable), where there is existing infrastructure (that was not
damaged or destroyed), the standalone 911-NOW wireless network may
leverage the existing network infrastructure to form an integrated
911-NOW wireless network capable of supporting various additional
capabilities (e.g., supporting communications with one or more
other standalone 911-NOW wireless networks, supporting
communications with one or more remote emergency management
headquarters, supporting communications with other resources, and
the like, as well as various combinations thereof). An integrated
911-NOW wireless network including a mesh 911-NOW network in
communication with existing network infrastructure is depicted and
described herein with respect to FIG. 2.
[0040] FIG. 2 depicts an integrated 911-NOW communication network
architecture including a 911-NOW mesh network and an existing
network infrastructure. Specifically, the integrated 911-NOW
communication network architecture 200 includes 911-NOW mesh
network 100 (depicted and described with respect to FIG. 1) and
existing network infrastructure 201. The existing network
infrastructure 201 may include any existing communications
infrastructure adapted for supporting communications for 911-NOW
mesh network 100 (e.g., including wireless communications
capabilities, backhaul functions, networking functions, services,
and the like, as well as various combinations thereof).
[0041] The existing network infrastructure 201 may include wireless
access capabilities (e.g., radio access networks, satellite access
networks, and the like, as well as various combinations thereof),
backhaul capabilities (e.g., public and/or private, wireline and/or
wireless, backhaul networks supporting mobility management
functions, routing functions, and gateway functions, as well as
various other related functions), core networking capabilities
(e.g., AAA functions, DNS functions, DHCP functions, call/session
control functions, and the like), services capabilities (e.g.,
application servers, media servers, and the like), and the like, as
well as various combinations thereof. Since 911-NOW nodes 110 also
supports such capabilities, in some embodiments at least a portion
of these capabilities of existing network infrastructure 201 may
only be relied upon when necessary.
[0042] As depicted in FIG. 2, the existing network infrastructure
201 supports wireless backhaul connections. Specifically, the
existing network infrastructure 201 supports two wireless backhaul
connections from 911-NOW mesh network 100. The existing network
infrastructure 201 supports a first wireless backhaul connection
214 with 911-NOW node 110.sub.E using a satellite 202, where
satellite 202 is in wireless backhaul communication with a
satellite backhaul node 203 at the edge of Internet 206. The
existing network infrastructure 201 supports a second wireless
backhaul connection 214 with 911-NOW node 110.sub.G using a
cellular base station 204, where cellular base station in 204 is in
wireline backhaul communication with a cellular backhaul node 205
at the edge of Internet 206.
[0043] As depicted in FIG. 2, the existing network infrastructure
201 further supports other connections to other locations with
which users 102 of emergency site 101 may communicate. The existing
network infrastructure 201 includes a router 207 supporting
communications for an emergency headquarters 220 (which may
include, for example, emergency personnel and/or emergency
systems). The existing network infrastructure 201 includes a
cellular backhaul node 208 and an associated base station 209
supporting communications for one or more other 911-NOW mesh
networks 230.sub.1-230.sub.N (i.e., one or more other standalone
911-NOW networks established at remote emergency sites).
[0044] The existing network infrastructure 201 supports
communications for 911-NOW mesh network 100. The existing network
infrastructure 201 may support communications between wireless user
devices 104 of 911-NOW mesh network 100 (e.g., complementing
wireless mesh communications between 911-NOW nodes 110 of the
standalone 911-NOW network 100). The existing network
infrastructure 201 may support communications between wireless user
devices 104 of 911-NOW mesh network 100 and other emergency
personnel and/or emergency systems. For example, existing network
infrastructure 201 may support communications between wireless user
devices 104 of 911-NOW mesh network 100 and an emergency
headquarters 220, one or more other 911-NOW mesh networks 230
(e.g., at emergency sites remote from emergency site 101), and the
like, as well as various combinations thereof.
[0045] As depicted in FIG. 2, in addition to supporting one or more
wireless access interfaces, one or more wireless mesh interfaces,
and one or more wireless management interfaces, 911-NOW nodes 110
support one or more wireless backhaul interfaces supporting
communications between 911-NOW nodes 110 and existing network
infrastructure (illustratively, existing network infrastructure
201). The wireless backhaul communications between 911-NOW nodes
110 and existing network infrastructure 201 are supported using
wireless backhaul connections 214 established between 911-NOW nodes
110 and existing network infrastructure 201. The wireless backhaul
connections 214 may be provided using one or more wireless
technologies, such as GSM, GPRS, EV-DO, UMTS, HSDPA, WiFi, WiMAX,
LTE, microwave, satellite, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof.
[0046] The mesh networking capabilities provided by 911-NOW nodes
110, in combination with backhaul networking capabilities provided
by 911-NOW nodes 110 using wireless backhaul connections with the
existing network infrastructure 201, enable communications between
emergency personnel at one emergency site (e.g., between users
connected to 911-NOW nodes 110 of a standalone 911-NOW mesh
network), between emergency personnel at different emergency sites
(e.g., between users connected to 911-NOW nodes 110 of different
standalone wireless mesh networks), between emergency personnel at
one or more emergency sites and emergency management personnel
(e.g., users stationed at emergency headquarters 220), and the
like, as well as various combinations thereof.
[0047] Thus, 911-NOW nodes 110 may each support four different
types of wireless interfaces. The 911-NOW nodes 110 support one or
more wireless access interfaces by which user devices 104 may
access 911-NOW nodes 110. The 911-NOW nodes 110 support one or more
wireless mesh interfaces by which 911-NOW nodes 110 communicate
with other 911-NOW nodes 110. The 911-NOW nodes 110 support one or
more wireless backhaul interfaces by which the 911-NOW nodes 110
communicate with existing network infrastructure. The 911-NOW nodes
110 support one or more wireless management interfaces by which
network administrators may manage the 911-NOW-based wireless
network. The functions of a 911-NOW node 110 may be better
understood with respect to FIG. 3.
[0048] FIG. 3 depicts a high-level block diagram of one embodiment
of a 911-NOW node. Specifically, as depicted in FIG. 3, 911-NOW
node 110 includes a functions module 301, a processor 340, a memory
350, and support circuit(s) 360 (as well as various other
processors, modules, storage devices, support circuits, and the
like required to support various functions of 911-NOW node 110).
The functions module 301 cooperates with processor 340, memory 350,
and support circuits 360 to provide various functions of 911-NOW
node 110, as depicted and described herein).
[0049] The processor 340 controls the operation of 911-NOW node
110, including communications between functions module 301, memory
350, and support circuit(s) 360. The memory 350 includes programs
351, applications 352, support data 353 (e.g., user profiles,
quality-of-service profiles, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof), and user data 354 (e.g., any information
intended for communication to/from user devices associated with
911-NOW node 110). The memory 350 may store other types of
information. The support circuit(s) 360 may include any circuits or
modules adapted for supporting functions of 911-NOW node 110, such
as power supplies, power amplifiers, transceivers, encoders,
decoders, and the like, as well as various combinations
thereof.
[0050] The functions module 301 includes a wireless functions
module 309, a core (CORE) networking functions module 320, and a
services module 330. The wireless functions module 309 includes a
radio access network (RAN) functions module 310 and, optionally, a
wireless interface module 315. The CORE networking functions module
320 provides CORE networking functions. The services module 330
provides one or more services. The RAN functions module 310 (and,
when present, wireless interface module 315) communicate with both
CORE networking functions module 320 and services module 330, and
CORE networking functions module 320 and services module 330
communicate, to provide functions depicted and described
herein.
[0051] The wireless functions module 309, CORE networking functions
module 320, and services module 330 cooperate (in combination with
processor 340, memory 350, and support circuits 360, and any other
required modules, controllers, and the like, which are omitted for
purposes of clarity) to provide a rapidly deployable wireless node
which may form: (1) a single-node, standalone wireless network; (2)
a multi-node, standalone wireless network (i.e., using wireless
mesh connections between 911-NOW nodes); or (3) an integrated
wireless network (i.e., using wireless backhaul connections between
one or more 911-NOW nodes and existing network infrastructure and,
optionally, using wireless mesh connections between 911-NOW
nodes).
[0052] The RAN functions module 310 provides RAN functions. The RAN
functions include supporting one or more wireless access interfaces
for communications associated with wireless user devices.
Specifically, RAN functions module 310 supports a plurality of air
interfaces (AIs) 311.sub.1-311.sub.N (collectively, AIs 311). The
AIs 311 provide wireless access interfaces supporting
communications associated with wireless user devices. For example,
AIs 311 may support functions typically provided by a base
transceiver station (BTS).
[0053] The RAN functions module 310 provides control functions. The
control functions may include any control functions typically
performed by controllers in radio access networks. For example, the
control functions may include functions such as admission control,
power control, packet scheduling, load control, handover control,
security functions, and the like, as well as various combinations
thereof. For example, in one embodiment, the control functions may
include functions typically performed by RAN network controllers
(RNCs) or similar wireless network controllers.
[0054] The RAN functions module 310 provides network gateway
functions. The network gateway functions may include any functions
typically performed in order to bridge RAN and CORE networks, such
as IP session management functions, mobility management functions,
packet routing functions, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof. For example, where intended for use with
CDMA2000-based wireless technology, the network gateway functions
may include functions typically performed by a Packet Data Serving
Node (PDSN). For example, where intended for use with GPRS-based
and/or UMTS-based wireless technology, the network gateway
functions may include functions typically performed by a
combination of a GPRS Gateway Support Node (GGSN) and a Serving
GPRS Support Node (SGSN).
[0055] In one embodiment, RAN functions module 310 may be
implemented as a base station router (BSR). In one such embodiment,
the BSR includes a base station (BS) or one or more modules
providing BS functions, a radio network controller (RNC) or one or
more modules providing RNC functions, and a network gateway (NG) or
one or more modules providing NG functions. In such embodiments,
RAN functions module 310 supports any functions typically supported
by a base station router.
[0056] The wireless interface module 315 provides one or more
wireless interfaces. The wireless interfaces provided by wireless
interface module may include one or more of: (1) one or more
wireless mesh interfaces supporting communications with other
911-NOW nodes; (2) one or more wireless backhaul interfaces
supporting communications with existing network infrastructure;
and/or (3) one or more wireless management interfaces supporting
communications with one or more management devices. The wireless
interface module 315 supports a plurality of air interfaces (AIs)
316.sub.1-316.sub.N (collectively, AIs 316), which provide wireless
interfaces supporting communications associated with one or more
of: one or more other 911-NOW nodes, existing network
infrastructure, and one or more management devices.
[0057] In one embodiment, a 911-NOW node 110 is implemented without
wireless interface module 315 (e.g., if the 911-NOW node 110 is not
expected to require wireless mesh, backhaul, or management
capabilities). In one embodiment, a 911-NOW node 110 includes a
wireless interface module 315 supporting a subset of: one or more
wireless mesh interfaces, one or more wireless backhaul interfaces,
and one or more wireless management interfaces (i.e., the 911-NOW
node is tailored depending on whether the 911-NOW node 110 will
require wireless management, mesh, and/or backhaul capabilities).
In one embodiment, a 911-NOW node 110 includes a wireless interface
module 315 supporting each of: one or more wireless mesh
interfaces, one or more wireless backhaul interfaces, and one or
more wireless management interfaces (i.e., all types of wireless
interfaces are available should the 911-NOW node 110 require such
wireless capabilities).
[0058] The CORE networking functions module 320 provides networking
functions typically available from the CORE network. For example,
CORE networking functions module 320 may provide authentication,
authorization, and accounting (AAA) functions, domain name system
(DNS) functions, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)
functions, call/session control functions, and the like, as well as
various combinations thereof. One skilled in the art knows which
functions are typically available from the CORE network.
[0059] The services module 330 provides services. The services may
include any services capable of being provided to wireless user
devices. In one embodiment, for example, services module 330 may
provide services typically provided by application servers, media
servers, and the like, as well as various combinations thereof. For
example, services may include one or more of voice services, voice
conferencing services, data transfer services (e.g., high-speed
data downloads/uploads, file transfers, sensor data transfers, and
the like), video services, video conferencing services, multimedia
services, multimedia conferencing services, push-to-talk services,
instant messaging services, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof.
[0060] Although primarily depicted and described herein with
respect to a specific configuration of a 911-NOW node including
three modules providing wireless functions (including RAN functions
and, optionally, additional wireless interfaces and associated
interface functions), CORE networking functions, and services,
respectively, 911-NOW nodes may be implemented using other
configurations for providing wireless functions, CORE networking
functions, and services. Similarly, although primarily depicted and
described herein with respect to a specific configuration of a
functions module providing specific wireless functions, CORE
networking functions, and services, functions modules of 911-NOW
nodes may be implemented using other configurations for providing
wireless functions, CORE networking functions, and services.
[0061] Therefore, it is contemplated that at least a portion of the
described functions may be distributed across the various
functional modules in a different manner, may be provided using
fewer functional modules, or may be provided using more functional
modules. Furthermore, although primarily depicted and described
with respect to specific wireless functions (including RAN
functions and, optionally, one or more additional wireless
interface functions), CORE networking functions, and services, it
is contemplated that fewer or more wireless functions (including
RAN functions, optionally, and one or more additional wireless
interface functions), CORE networking functions, and/or services
may be supported by a 911-NOW node. Thus, 911-NOW nodes are not
intended to be limited by the example functional architectures
depicted and described herein with respect to FIG. 3.
[0062] FIG. 4 depicts the standalone 911-NOW communication network
architecture of FIG. 1 including a Portable Electronic Command
Board (PECB). Specifically, PECB 410 is a control device adapted
for use by one or more commanders to perform different control
functions at emergency site 101. For example, the control functions
may include managing the 911-NOW communication network established
at emergency site 101, managing the users 102 responding at
emergency site 101, managing information (e.g., information
exchanged at emergency site 101, information exchanged between
emergency site 101 and other locations, any other information that
may be associated with emergency site 101), and the like, as well
as various combinations thereof. For example, the commander(s) that
uses PECB 101 may include one or more of the users 102, or any
other person who may be responsible for performing control
functions at emergency site 101.
[0063] The PECB 410 communicates with wireless user devices 104 via
911-NOW nodes 110. In one embodiment, PECB 410 may support a wired
connection to one of the 911-NOW nodes 110. In one embodiment, PECB
410 may support wireless connectivity to one or more of the 911-NOW
nodes 110. The PECB 410 may also support wireless connectivity to
existing network infrastructure (e.g., for communicating with other
emergency sites, for communicating with one or more command
centers, for accessing information from different networks (e.g.,
information from private networks, public Internet searches, and
the like), and the like, as well as various combinations thereof.
The PECB 410 may support any other communications required in
support of the functions of PECB 410 depicted and described
herein.
[0064] The PECB 410 may be implemented in many different ways. In
one embodiment, for example, PECB 410 may be implemented as a
laptop, or at least have a laptop-like design. In one such
embodiment, PECB 410 may be a rugged laptop that is built to handle
different extreme conditions which may be experienced at an
emergency site (e.g., a laptop or other similar device including
environmental hardening). The PECB 410 may be implemented in
various other ways.
[0065] As described herein, PECB 410 is adapted to enable
performance of different functions which may be required at
emergency site 101, including monitoring and managing the 911-NOW
communication network established at emergency site 101 (e.g.,
configuring 911-NOW nodes 110, setting up any communication
connections which may be required, monitoring the health and
performance of any communications supported by the 911-NOW nodes
110, and the like), monitoring and managing users 102 deployed to
emergency site 101 (e.g., communicating with users 102, directing
the actions of individual users 102 or teams of users 102,
receiving and analyzing information collected by users 102 using
wireless user devices 104, and the like), and the like, as well as
various combinations thereof. The PECB 410 may be used to perform
many other functions, as depicted and described herein.
[0066] The PECB 410 provides a user interface which enables a user
(or users) to perform such functions which may be required at
emergency site 101. The PECB 410 supports one or more user
interaction interfaces (e.g., touch screens, keyboards, audio
inputs, data inputs, and the like, as well as various combinations
thereof). The PECB 410 also supports one or more user presentation
interfaces (e.g., one or more display screens, audio outputs, and
the like, as well as various combinations thereof). The PECB 410 is
adapted for presenting information in various different ways. The
operation of PECB 410 in performing such functions, including
graphical presentation and manipulation of information associated
with various management functions, may be better understood with
respect to FIG. 5-13.
[0067] FIG. 5 depicts a high-level block diagram of a user
interface of the PECB of FIG. 4. As depicted in FIG. 5, user
interface 500 includes an accountability window 510 and a graphics
window 520. The accountability window 510 includes a control
portion 511 and a display portion 516. The graphics window 520
includes a control portion 521 and a display portion 526. The
control portions 511 and 521 may be implemented in any manner. In
one embodiment, control portions 511 and 521 may be implemented as
toggle bars having multiple tabs which, when selected, enable
display of different information in the display portions 516 and
526.
[0068] The accountability window 510 enables display of personnel
accountability information and, optionally, personnel-related
configuration functions (e.g., setting up calling groups,
displaying personnel phonebook information, and the like). The
accountability window 510 may also display status information
associated with emergency personnel (e.g., individual personnel,
groups of personnel, and the like). The control portion 511
controls the information that is displayed in display portion 516.
The control portion 511 and/or display portion 516 may also control
information that is displayed in display portion 526.
[0069] The graphics window 520 enables display of information which
may be useful for managing operations at emergency site 101, such
as displaying video streams from video cameras associated with
emergency personnel, displaying tracking information (e.g., for
tracking locations of emergency personnel, for directing movements
of emergency personnel, and the like), displaying status monitoring
information (e.g., from sensors, detectors, and the like), enabling
use of various other applications (e.g., Internet browsing
capabilities, file transfers, and the like), and the like, as well
as various combinations thereof. The control portion 521 (alone, or
in combination with control portion 511 and/or display portion 516)
controls the information that is displayed in display portion
526.
[0070] The control portion 511 includes a plurality of tabs for
controlling the information that is displayed in display portion
516. The control portion 511 includes a UNITS tab 512 and an ON
SITE tab 513. The control portion 521 includes a plurality of tabs
for controlling the information that is displayed in display
portion 526. The control portion 521 includes a VIDEO tab 522, a
TRACKING tab 523, a SENSORS tab 524, and an APPLICATIONS tab 525.
The information that is displayed in display portion 526 when each
of these tabs is selected may be better understood with respect to
the examples depicted and described with respect to FIG. 6-FIG.
12.
[0071] FIG. 6 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the UNITS
tab selected. As depicted in FIG. 6, selection of the UNITS tab 512
from control portion 511 results in display of accountability
information in the display portion 516 of the accountability window
510. The accountability information displayed in display portion
516 may include accountability information for any group or groups.
For example, the organizational structure may be an organizational
structure of an emergency response group (or any other group,
depending on the type of event for which the 911-NOW network is
deployed). In FIG. 6, for example, the organizational structure
that is displayed in the display portion 516 is the organizational
structure of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
[0072] The accountability information displayed in display portion
516 may include any accountability information associated with the
group. In one embodiment, for example, the accountability
information displayed in display portion 516 is an organizational
structure of the group. The accountability information may include
any other accountability information (e.g., chain of command
information, unit assignment information, and the like, as well as
various combinations thereof). In one embodiment, the
accountability information includes accountability information for
the entire group, irrespective of whether or not the group, or a
portion(s) of the group, is deployed at an emergency site.
[0073] The accountability information that is displayed in display
portion 516 may be preloaded and/or entered in real time. The
accountability information that is displayed in display portion 516
may also be customized at any time. For example, the accountability
information may be customized offline when the organizational
structure of the group changes, in real time during an emergency in
which the commander deems it necessary to modify the organizational
structure (e.g., where the chain-of-command needs to be changed,
where one or more units, battalions, divisions, or other groups are
directed to response to an emergency site outside of their normal
response area, and the like), or at any other time or in response
to any other situation, as needed.
[0074] The organizational structure may be displayed in any manner
adapted for providing information about the organizational
structure of the associated group. In one embodiment, for example,
the organizational structure may be displayed using folders that
are organized in a hierarchical manner. The folders may be
expandable/collapsible to reveal/hide subfolders that form part of
the folder being expanded/collapsed. In this manner, any number of
hierarchical levels of organizational structure may be supported.
The organizational structure may be displayed in any other manner
for providing information about the organizational structure of the
group.
[0075] For example, where the highest level of the organizational
hierarchy is all emergency response organizations in an area (e.g.,
where the person using PECB 410 is the emergency coordinator for
all emergency response departments in the area), the next lower
level of the hierarchy may be broken out by department (fire
department, police department, medical responders, and the like),
by location (e.g., by geographical locations or organizational
boundaries), and the like, as well as various combinations thereof.
The lower levels of the hierarchy may then be broken out by
different units within each of the different departments,
locations, and so forth, depending on the manner in which the
organizational hierarchy is presented. The different units may then
be broken further to the individual emergency responder level.
[0076] For example, where the highest level of the organizational
hierarchy is one emergency response department in an area (e.g.,
where the person using PECB 410 is the chief of the fire
department, or any other department), the next lower level of the
hierarchy may be broken out by geographical locations, units, and
the like, as well as various combinations thereof. For example,
where the second level of the organizational hierarchy is organized
by location, the third level of the hierarchy may then be broken
out by different units operating within each of the different
locations. The different units may then be broken out into
different sub-units (e.g., battalions within a division, units
within a battalion, and the like). The different units and/or
sub-units may then be broken further to the individual emergency
responder level. An example is depicted in FIG. 6.
[0077] As depicted in FIG. 6, accountability information displayed
in display portion 516 is accountability information for the New
York Fire Department. The organizational hierarchy used in this
example displays a FDNY folder 601 at the first level of the
hierarchy. The FDNY folder 601 is expandable to display folders for
each of the different regions of NYC in which the FDNY operates
(illustratively, a Bronx folder 611, a Brooklyn folder 612, a
Manhattan folder 613, a Queens folder 614, and a Staten Island
folder 615, each of which is displayed as an expandable/collapsible
folder). Specifically, the region folders are each individually
expandable to display different divisions operating in the
regions.
[0078] As depicted in FIG. 6, each of the region folders includes
subfolders. For example, the Bronx folder 611 includes folders 621
for Division 6 and Division 7, the Brooklyn folder 612 includes
folders 622 for Division 11 and Division 15, the Manhattan folder
613 includes folders 623 for Division 1 and Division 3, the Queens
folder 613 includes folders 624 for Division 13 and Division 14,
and the Staten Island folder 625 includes a folder 625 for Division
8, each of which is displayed as an expandable/collapsible folder.
Specifically, the division folders are each individually expandable
to display the battalions (and associated units) operating in the
different divisions.
[0079] As further depicted in FIG. 6, the division folder 623 for
Division 1 of the Manhattan region of the FDNY has been expanded to
display folders for the five battalions which belong to Division 1
(illustratively, Battalions 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7). Additionally, two
of the battalion folders have been expanded to display the
different units which make up the battalions. Specifically, the
battalion folder for Battalion 1 is expanded to display folders for
the eight units which make up Battalion 1 (namely, Decontamination,
E4, E6, E7, E10, L1, L10, and L15) and the battalion folder for
Battalion 4 is expanded to display folders for the six units which
make up Battalion 4 (namely, E9, E15, E28, L6, L11, and L18).
[0080] As described herein, selection of information in display
portion 516 may be used in conjunction with selection of one of the
tabs of control portion 521 in order to control display of
information in display portion 526. In the example depicted in FIG.
6, the unit folder for the unit E4 of Battalion 1 of Division 1 in
Manhattan has been selected in display portion 516 and the VIDEO
tab 522 is selected in control portion 521, thereby resulting in
display of streaming video in display portion 526. The display of
streaming video in display portion 526 may be better understood
with respect to FIG. 8.
[0081] FIG. 7 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON SITE
tab selected. As depicted in FIG. 7, selection of the ON SITE tab
513 from control portion 511 results in display of accountability
information in display portion 516 of accountability window 510.
The accountability information displayed in display portion 516
includes information on portions of the group (e.g., units)
deployed at an emergency site. For example, the accountability
information may include information such as which units are
deployed in which locations, which emergency personnel belong to
which units, which units/personnel belong to which calling group or
groups, status information associated with units/personnel, and the
like, as well as various combinations thereof. In FIG. 7, for
example, accountability information displayed in display portion
516 is accountability information that is associated with units of
the FDNY that have been deployed to a fire at the County
Library.
[0082] The accountability information that is displayed in display
portion 516 may be organized in any manner adapted for providing
information about the emergency response units, and the emergency
personnel of the emergency response units, deployed at an emergency
site.
[0083] In one embodiment, for example, the accountability
information may be organized using folders that are organized in a
hierarchical manner. In such embodiments, the folders may be
expandable/collapsible to reveal/hide other folders (and/or other
relevant information) which may be associated with the folder that
is being expanded/collapsed. The folders may be organized in any
manner (e.g., based on the organizational hierarchy of the
department(s) that have units deployed at the emergency site, the
locations in which units are operating at the emergency site, and
the like, as well as various combinations thereof). The
accountability information may be organized in any other manner
adapted for providing accountability information associated with
units and/or emergency personnel deployed to an emergency site.
[0084] For example, where the emergency site is a group of
buildings in which there is a disaster, the highest level of the
on-site hierarchy may be the area in which the buildings are
located, and the next lower level of the hierarchy may be broken
out into the different buildings affected by the disaster. For
example, where the emergency site is a building in which there is a
fire, the highest level of the on-site hierarchy may be the name of
the building in which the fire is located, and the next lower level
of the hierarchy may be broken out into the different floors of the
building. The on-site hierarchy may be organized using other types
of hierarchical organization, depending on various factors (e.g.,
the type of emergency, the number of units/personnel responding to
the emergency site, preferences of the commander(s) managing the
emergency site, and the like, as well as various combinations
thereof).
[0085] In such embodiments, lower levels of the on-site hierarchy
may then be broken out into the different units and, further, to
the individual emergency responder level (e.g., so that the
commander(s) managing the emergency site knows which of the
emergency personnel are operating with each deployed unit, can
communicate with emergency responders based on calling groups to
which the emergency responders are assigned, can obtain unit-level
and/or individual-level status information, and can easily review
any other relevant information associated with units and/or
emergency personnel deployed at the emergency site). An example is
depicted is FIG. 7.
[0086] As depicted in FIG. 7, accountability information displayed
in display portion 516 is accountability information for response
units of the New York Fire Department that have been deployed to a
fire at the County Library. The organizational hierarchy used in
this example displays a County Library folder 701 at the first
level of the hierarchy, and the County Library folder 701 is
expandable to display subfolders which enable the commander to
manage the response to the fire. The subfolders correspond to
different locations at the emergency site (and, optionally,
functions to be performed at the emergency site).
[0087] Specifically, County Library folder 701 is expandable to
display: (1) a folder associated with the first floor of the County
Library (First Floor folder 711); (2) a folder associated with the
second floor of the County Library (Second Floor folder 712); (3) a
folder associated with any fire department units dedicated to
emergency egress (RIT folder 713), a folder associated with any
fire department units currently resting, e.g., in between shifts of
fighting the fire (R&R folder 714); and (5) a folder associated
with any fire department units currently in a staging area for
preparing to fight the fire (Staging folder 715).
[0088] As depicted in FIG. 7, each location/function folder may
include one or more subfolders. In one embodiment, the subfolders
may identify units that are currently located at that location (or
associated with that function). For example, the First Floor folder
711 includes folders indicating that units E4 and L1 (from
Battalion 1) are currently working on the First Floor, the Second
Floor folder 712 includes a folder indicating that the unit E6
(from Battalion 1) is currently working on the Second Floor, the
RIT folder 713 includes a folder indicating that the unit E9 (from
Battalion 4) is currently on standby to provide emergency egress
from the County Library if needed, the R&R folder 714 does not
include any folders (i.e., none of the units that responded to the
fire are currently resting), and the Staging folder 715 includes a
folder indicating that unit L18 (from Battalion 4) is currently
staging in preparation to fight the fire.
[0089] As further depicted in FIG. 7, the unit folders are each
individually expandable/collapsible to display/hide the emergency
responders of the units. The E4 unit folder has been expanded to
display the members of the E4 unit, namely, Chuck P, Dorel L, John
L, and Thierry K. The L1 unit folder has not been expanded to
display the members of the L1 unit. The E6 unit folder has been
expanded to display the members of the E4 unit, namely, Cezar P,
Joe G, Suman D, and Wendy H. The E9 unit folder has been expanded
to display the members of the E9 unit, namely, Ankar J, Kanthi C N,
and Vijay G. The L18 unit folder has not been expanded.
[0090] The accountability information that is displayed in display
portion 516 includes a subset of the accountability information
available in display portion 516 when the UNITS tab 512 is selected
(e.g., accountability information that is associated with the unit
of the group that have been deployed to the emergency site). The
display portion 516 enables the emergency commander to monitor and
manage the response at the emergency site (e.g., using the user
interface in order to review the accountability information that is
displayed in display portion 51 and manipulate the accountability
information that is displayed in display portion 516 as conditions
at the emergency site change).
[0091] For example, if the commander determines that the L1 unit
currently operating on the first floor of the library is no longer
needed on the first floor, the commander may instruct the members
of the L1 unit to leave the first floor area and go to the rest and
relaxation area in order to get some rest. In this case, in order
to reflect this change in deployment of the units at the library,
the commander may simply drag the L1 folder from the first floor
folder in display portion 516 and drop it on the R&R folder in
display portion 516, thereby reflecting the change in
accountability of unit L1 at the emergency site.
[0092] Thus, the display portion 516 enables the commander to
monitor and manage the response to the emergency as conditions
change at the emergency site by simple manipulation of the
accountability information associated with the emergency site. The
commander may perform various other actions via display portion 516
in order to monitor and manage the response at the emergency site,
such as modifying the chain of command, reflecting movements of
units around the emergency site, reflecting movements of emergency
responders between units, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof.
[0093] In one embodiment, in addition to displaying information by
which an emergency commander may determine accountability at the
emergency site, selection of the ON SITE tab 513 enables other
functions to be performed.
[0094] In one embodiment, selection of ON SITE tab 513 enables the
emergency commander to configure and control communications at the
emergency site via display portion 516. In one such embodiment, the
emergency commander may configure and control communications at the
emergency site using calling groups.
[0095] The calling groups may be created, modified, and deleted in
any manner (e.g., using any sequence of selections, button presses,
and the like, depending on the implementation of the user interface
for PECB 410). In one embodiment, calling groups may be created
using accountability information that is displayed in display
portion 516. For example, calling groups may be created by
selecting one or more folders of accountability information in the
display portion 516 and initiating an action to create a calling
group for the selected folders. In another embodiment, calling
groups may be created independently of accountability information
that is displayed in display portion 516. For example, a calling
group may be created by selecting units and/or responders for
inclusion in the calling group. The calling groups may be created,
modified, and deleted in various other ways.
[0096] The calling groups may be organized, displayed, and
controlled in any manner. In one embodiment, the calling groups may
be organized, displayed, and controlled in conjunction with the
accountability information displayed in display portion 516. In
another embodiment, calling groups may be organized, displayed, and
controlled independently of accountability information. The calling
groups used for controlling communications at an emergency site may
be organized, displayed, and controlled in various other ways.
[0097] As depicted in FIG. 7, the accountability information that
is displayed in display portion 516 has been organized into four
calling groups having four associated calling group icons
720.sub.1-720.sub.4 (collectively, calling groups icons 720). A
first calling group icon 720.sub.1 is displayed for a calling group
that exists for the first floor (and, thus, includes each of the
responders of units E4 and L1, which are operating on the first
floor). A second calling group icon 720.sub.2 is displayed for a
calling group that exists for the second floor (and, thus, includes
each of the responders of unit E6, which are operating on the
second floor). A third calling group icon 720.sub.3 is displayed
for a calling group that exists for the RIT responders (and, thus,
includes each of the responders of unit E9 that are associated with
RIT). A fourth calling group icon 720.sub.4 is displayed for a
calling group that exists for the staging area (and, thus, includes
each of the responders of unit L18 which are located at the staging
area).
[0098] The calling groups may be configured to support
communications in any manner.
[0099] In one embodiment, each member of a calling group is
connected to each of the other members of the calling group upon
creation of the calling group such that each member of a calling
group may communicate with each of the other members of the calling
group at any time by simply speaking. As an example, when Chuck P
(from unit E4) talks, he is heard by each of the other members of
unit E4 as well as the members of unit L1, all of which belong to
the first calling group created for the first floor of the library.
In one such embodiment, connections between members of a calling
group are established by creating a voice conference for the
calling group when the calling group is created (e.g., using a
voice conferencing application).
[0100] Although primarily depicted and described herein with
respect to use of voice conferencing capabilities for facilitating
voice communication between members of a calling group,
communications between members of a calling group may be
facilitated using various other communications capabilities (e.g.,
in addition to the voice conferencing capabilities or in place of
the voice conferencing capabilities). For example, calling groups
may be used for video conferencing, texting, file sharing, or any
other types of communications, as well as various combinations
thereof.
[0101] The emergency commander may utilize calling groups to
communicate with different combinations of emergency personnel in
any manner.
[0102] In one embodiment, the emergency commander may communicate
with each of the emergency responders of a calling group
collectively. The emergency commander may initiate and terminate
communication in various different ways. In one embodiment, for
example, the emergency commander may be connected to each responder
of a calling group simply by clicking on the calling group icon for
that calling group in display portion 516 (e.g., one of the calling
group icons 720 displayed in display portion 516). In another
embodiment, for example, the emergency responder may be connected
to each emergency responder of a calling group by highlight the
calling group (e.g., highlighting the folders of the accountability
information displayed in display portion 516) and making one or
more other selections from any of the control portions or display
portions. An emergency commander may initiate and/or terminate
communications with a calling group (or groups) in various other
ways.
[0103] In one embodiment, the emergency commander may communicate
with a subset of the emergency responders of a calling group. For
example, an emergency commander may initiate a connection with all
members of a particular unit (e.g., by double clicking the unit
folder, by highlighting the unit folder and making one or more
other selections from any of the control or display portions, and
the like). For example, an emergency commander may initiate a
connection with one of the emergency responders (e.g., by double
clicking the name of the responder, by highlighting the name of the
responder and making one or more other selections from any of the
control or display portions, and the like). The emergency commander
may communicate with any combination of emergency responders, with
or without using established calling groups (e.g., with a subset of
the responders of a single unit, with multiple responders of
different units, with a subset of the units at the emergency site,
and the like, as well as various combinations thereof).
[0104] The use of calling groups enables the emergency commander to
easily communicate with different combinations of members of
different calling groups (e.g., by a simple manipulation of the
user interface, such as clicking an icon or a link, highlighting a
calling group and pressing one or more buttons, and the like).
[0105] Thus, by enabling the emergency commander to communicate
with each of the members of each of the calling groups, the use of
calling groups enables the emergency commander to more effectively
manage operations at an emergency site.
[0106] For example, if the commander determines that the L1 unit
currently operating on the first floor of the library is no longer
needed on the first floor but is needed on the second floor, the
commander may instruct the members of the L1 unit to leave the
first floor area and go to the second floor. In this case, rather
than members of unit L1 having to change their communication
frequency in order to communicate with members of unit E6 which is
already operating on the second floor, the emergency commander
simply switches unit L1 from the first calling group 720.sub.1 to
the second calling group 720.sub.2. In this manner, the members of
unit L1 are quickly configured to communicate with each other, as
well as the members of the other unit E6 with which they will be
operating. For example, the emergency commander may perform this
reconfiguration of calling groups while unit L1 is en route to the
second floor so that, upon arriving at the second floor, unit L1 is
already configured for communication with other emergency
responders operating on the second floor.
[0107] From each of the above-described examples, it is clear that
the use of calling groups to manage and control communications at
an emergency site obviates the need for each of the emergency
responders to have to worry about changing their communications
configuration (e.g., tuning their radios to a different frequency)
as conditions change at the emergency site (e.g., as they change
locations at the emergency site) because this function may now be
controlled remotely by the emergency commander via the user
interface of PECB 410. The use of calling groups provides many
other advantages.
[0108] In one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 7, an emergency
commander may be provided with a capability to initiate and
terminate communications with all of the emergency responders at
the emergency site. For example, in one embodiment, selection of ON
SITE tab 513 may cause a BROADCAST icon 730 to be displayed in
display portion 516. In this case, the emergency commander may
communicate with all of the emergency personnel at the emergency
site at the same time by merely clicking the BROADCAST button 730
(i.e., this is equivalent to individual selection of each of the
calling groups by the emergency commander).
[0109] Although depicted and described herein with respect to
location-based calling groups, calling groups may be organized in
various other ways. For example, the emergency commander may create
a site-level calling group including all emergency responders at
the emergency site, unit-level calling groups for each unit at an
emergency site, function-based calling groups (e.g., a calling
group for each responder at the emergency site who is assigned to a
ladder engine, a calling group for each responder at the emergency
site who is assigned to a water engine, and the like). The
emergency commander may assign response units and/or individual
emergency responders to different calling groups (e.g., such that
units and/or individual responders may belong to multiple calling
groups). In other words, any number of calling groups (of any size)
may be established. The calling groups may be organized and
displayed in any manner.
[0110] Although primarily depicted with respect to specific ways in
which an emergency commander may communicate with specific
combinations of emergency responders, communications between
emergency commander(s) and emergency personnel are not limited in
this manner. The emergency commander may communicate with a subset
of the responders of one unit, multiple responders of different
units, multiple units (but not all units deployed at the emergency
site), and the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The
emergency commander may initiate and terminate communications with
any combinations of emergency responders in any manner (e.g., using
one or more of highlighting, point-and-click operations, menu
selections, and the like, as well as various combinations
thereof).
[0111] In one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 7, status information
may be displayed in display portion 516. The status information
that is displayed in display portion 516 may include any high-level
status information which may be of interest to the emergency
commander. In the example depicted in FIG. 7, the status
information that is displayed is monitoring status information
(e.g., status information from monitoring devices associated with
each of the emergency personnel that are carrying monitoring
devices or have monitoring devices in their emergency equipment),
which may be better understood by way of reference to FIG. 10 and
FIG. 11. The status information that is displayed in display
portion 516 may include any other status information.
[0112] For example, as depicted in FIG. 7, some emergency
responders at the emergency site have six boxes displayed next to
their names in display portion 516. For each of these emergency
responders, each of the boxes is indicative of a status of a
different type of monitoring device that may be carried by that
emergency responder (and an overall status indicator for the
emergency responder). For example, for each emergency responder,
the six boxes, from left to right, correspond to a self-contained
breathing apparatus (SCBA), a personal alert safety system (PASS),
a gas detector (GAS), an outside temperature sensor (TEMP), a heart
rate monitor (HEART), and an overall status indicator (OVERALL) for
that emergency responder.
[0113] The status for each of the monitoring devices and overall
status may be indicated in various ways. In one embodiment, color
coding may be used to indicate status. For example, green, orange,
and red may be used to indicate different status levels (e.g.,
normal conditions, moderately unsafe conditions, and dangerous
conditions, respectively). In other embodiments, shapes, lines, and
the like may be used to reflect status (e.g., to support color
blindness). The appropriate status levels may be detected using
thresholds (e.g., when a first threshold is crossed status changes
from green to orange and when a second threshold is cross status
changes from orange to red). Although depicted and described with
respect to specific numbers and types of status levels, status
indicators (e.g., specific numbers of colors and specific colors),
and the like, the status may be indicated and controlled in various
other ways. In one embodiment, if it is known that an emergency
responder is not carrying certain monitoring devices, the
corresponding status box(es) may either be displayed without status
or may be omitted (as depicted in FIG. 7).
[0114] In one embodiment, depicted in FIG. 7, where a unit folder
has been expanded to display the individual emergency personnel
which belong to that unit, status information may be displayed for
each of the emergency personnel. In one embodiment, depicted in
FIG. 7, where a unit folder has not been expanded to display the
individual emergency personnel which belong to that unit, the
status information that is displayed may be status information
associated with the unit as a whole. In one such embodiment, for
example, the status information for the unit as a whole may be
determined as some combination of the statuses associated with each
of the individual emergency personnel of that unit.
[0115] In one embodiment, for example, using the example of green,
orange, and red status levels described above, if, for a particular
monitoring device, the status level is green for all of the
emergency responders in a unit, the associated status level that is
displayed for that monitoring device at the unit level is green. In
continuation of this example, if the status level is orange for one
or more of the emergency responders in a unit (but none of the
status levels are red), the associated status level that is
displayed for that monitoring device at the unit level is orange.
In further continuation of this example, if the status level is red
for one or more of the emergency responders in a unit, the
associated status level that is displayed for that monitoring
device at the unit level is red.
[0116] For example, as depicted in FIG. 7, since the OVERALL status
level for unit L1 is green, the emergency commander knows (without
even having to expand the folder for unit L1), that the overall
status for each emergency responder which belongs to unit L1 is
also green (and, thus, there is no need for any status-related
action to be taken for that response unit at this time). For
example, as depicted in FIG. 7, since the HEART status indicators
for Joe G, Suman D, and Wendy H are orange, green, and green,
respectively (and Cezar P is not carrying a heart rate monitor), if
the emergency commander were to collapse the folder for unit E6 the
resulting HEART status indicator would be orange (because one of
the emergency responders has a HEART status indicator of
orange).
[0117] Although primarily depicted and described herein with
respect to specific monitoring devices, specific status indicators,
specific rules controlling presentation of status information, and
the like, presentation of monitoring status information in display
portion 516 may be implemented in various other ways, which may be
better understood with respect to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 depicted and
described herein. Furthermore, although primarily depicted and
described with respect to monitoring status information, various
other types of status information (in addition to or in place of
monitoring status information) may be displayed in the display
portion 516 while the ON SITE tab 513 is selected.
[0118] Thus, using ON SITE tab 513 and display portion 516, the
emergency commander is able to ascertain which units are deployed
in which locations of the emergency site, communicate with any
combination of emergency responders using simple point-and-click
operations (or any other adequate control means, such as touch
screen presses, voice control, and the like), and ascertain
important status associated with emergency responders at the
emergency site (in this example, monitoring status information
associated with the health and well-being of the emergency
responders), as well as perform various other functions, all from
just one section of only one user interface. Furthermore, the
emergency commander is able to review various other information
(and perform various other functions) from working window 520 while
still reviewing and interacting with accountability window 510.
[0119] Furthermore, as described herein, selection of information
in display portion 516 may be used in conjunction with selection of
one of the tabs of control portion 521 in order to control display
of information in display portion 526. In the example depicted in
FIG. 7, the unit folder for the unit E4, which is fighting the fire
on the first floor of the County Library, has been selected in
display portion 516 and the VIDEO tab 522 is selected in control
portion 521, thereby resulting in display of streaming video in
display portion 526. The display of streaming video in display
portion 526 may be better understood with respect to FIG. 8.
[0120] Additionally, although omitted for purposes of clarity, in
addition to the UNITS tab 512 and the ON SITE tab 513, control
portion 511 may include other tabs which, when selected, enable
various functions to be performed via display portion 516 and/or
display portion 526.
[0121] In one embodiment, for example, the control portion 511 may
include a CONFIGURATION tab. In one embodiment, for example,
selection of the CONFIGURATION tab may enable the emergency
commander to manage calling groups. For example, an emergency
commander may create new calling groups, modify existing calling
groups, delete existing calling groups, merge multiple calling
groups into one calling group, split one calling group into
multiple calling groups, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof.
[0122] In one embodiment, for example, the control portion 511 may
include a PHONE BOOK tab. In one embodiment, for example, selection
of the PHONE BOOK tab may enable the emergency commander to access
important phone numbers. Since the emergency commander will
typically have direct access to communicate with each of the
emergency responders using simple point-and-click type actions, the
phone book may include phone numbers of important people not
deployed to the incident (e.g., headquarters, the mayor's office,
and the like, as well as various combinations thereof). In one
embodiment, selection of one of the phone numbers initiates a
point-to-point call with that person.
[0123] Although described with respect to using a CONFIGURATION tab
to manage calling groups, the CONFIGURATION tab may enable an
emergency commander to perform various other types of
configurations (e.g., configuring accountability information, such
as organizational hierarchy and other related information,
configuring settings of the PECB, and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof). Although described with respect to using a
PHONE BOOK tab to call personnel not deployed to the emergency
site, the PHONE BOOK tab may enable an emergency commander to
perform other related functions. Additionally, although primarily
described with respect to using two additional tabs, any number of
additional tabs may be supported in control portion 511.
[0124] FIG. 8 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON SITE
and VIDEO tabs selected. As depicted in FIG. 8, with ON SITE tab
513 (or UNITS tab 512) selected in control portion 511 and VIDEO
tab 522 selected in control portion 521, selection of a portion of
the accountability hierarchy in display portion 516 results in
display of associated video streams in display portion 526 (e.g.,
video streams received from video cameras associated with emergency
responders that are associated with the selection that is made in
display portion 516).
[0125] In one embodiment, selection of an individual emergency
responder from the accountability hierarchy in display portion 516
results in display of a video stream in display portion 526. In
this embodiment, in which only one video stream needs to be
displayed, the video stream may be presented as a low resolution
video stream (e.g., as a thumbnail to make room for display of
additional video streams in display portion 526) or as a high
resolution video stream (e.g., as a full video window which may be
reduced in size as needed, such as if there are other video streams
that also need to be displayed in the display portion 526).
[0126] In one embodiment, selection of multiple emergency
responders from the accountability hierarchy (e.g., selection of a
unit, selection of emergency responders from different units, and
the like) in display portion 516 results in display of multiple
video streams in display portion 526. In this embodiment, each of
the video streams may be presented as a low resolution video stream
(e.g., as a still image or thumbnail video stream). In one such
embodiment, one of the low resolution video streams may then be
selected from display portion 526, thereby causing the selected
video stream to be displayed as a high resolution video stream in
display portion 526.
[0127] The multiple low resolution videos may be displayed in any
manner and, thus, may be selected in any manner. In one embodiment,
for example, the low resolution video thumbnails may each operate
as selectable icons such that a low resolution video stream may be
viewed as a high resolution video stream by simply selecting the
corresponding video icon. The low resolution video streams may be
presented and selected in many other ways. In one embodiment,
identifying information may be presented next to each of the low
resolution video streams (e.g., the name of the emergency
responder, an icon displaying a picture of the emergency responder,
and the like). In such embodiments, the identifying information may
be selectable (in addition to the video thumbnail icons or instead
of the video thumbnail icons).
[0128] As an example, as depicted in FIG. 8, with VIDEO tab 522
selected in control portion 521 and ON SITE tab 513 selected in
control portion 511, the folder for unit E4 (which is operating on
the first floor of the library) is selected in display portion 516.
The unit E4 includes four members (Chuck P, Dorel L, John L, and
Thierry K), each of which is carrying a video camera. Thus, the
selection of this combination of tabs/folders results in display of
four video thumbnails 810.sub.1-810.sub.4 (collectively, video
thumbnails 810) in display portion 526. As depicted in FIG. 8, for
each of the four emergency responders of unit E4, the name of the
emergency responder is displayed next to the associated video
thumbnail for that emergency responder.
[0129] In continuation of this example, each of the four videos
displayed as video thumbnails in display portion 526 is
individually selectable (e.g., by clicking either the video
thumbnail icon or the name icon) such that, upon selection of one
of the video streams, a high resolution version of the selected
video stream is displayed in display portion 526. For example, a
larger version of the video stream may be displayed. As depicted in
FIG. 8, the video thumbnail associated with John L has been
selected and, thus, the low resolution video thumbnail initially
displayed in display portion 526 is also being displayed as a high
resolution video stream in display portion 526 (denoted as video
820).
[0130] Although primarily depicted and described with respect to
two video quality levels (i.e., low resolution and high
resolution), any number of video quality levels may be supported.
Although primarily depicted and described with respect to video
thumbnails and video windows, video streams may be presented in
various other ways. Although primarily depicted and described with
respect to four video thumbnails and one video window, any number
of low resolution and high resolution video streams may be
displayed, and in any manner. Thus, the video display capabilities
are not intended to be limited to the examples depicted and
described herein.
[0131] The video streams displayed in display portion 526 are
received from video cameras associated with emergency responders at
the emergency site and/or video cameras deployed at the emergency
site independent of any specific emergency responder. The video
streams may be received in any manner.
[0132] In one embodiment, for example, upon a selection that
constitutes a request to display one or more video streams (e.g.,
the commander switches from the TRACKING tab 523 to the VIDEO tab
522), PECB 410 may provide a control signal to each video camera
for which there is a request to display a video stream. In this
embodiment, a control signal provided from PECB 410 to a video
camera instructs the video camera to begin streaming video to PECB
410. The control signal may also instruct the video camera as to
the level of quality with which the video stream is to be provided
(e.g., as a low quality stream for display as a thumbnail, as a
high quality stream for display as a full video, and the like).
[0133] Similarly, in one embodiment, for example, upon a selection
that is indicative that a video stream that is currently being
displayed no longer needs to be displayed (e.g., the commander
switches from the VIDEO tab 522 to the TRACKING tab 523), PECB 410
may provide a control signal to each video camera for which there
is an indication that the video stream no longer needs to be
displayed. In this embodiment, a control signal provided from PECB
410 to a video camera instructs the video camera to stop streaming
video to PECB 410.
[0134] Similarly, in one embodiment, for example, upon a selection
that is indicative that a video stream that is currently being
displayed with one level of quality should be displayed with
another level of quality (e.g., the commander clicks one of the
video thumbnails displayed in display portion 526 in order to
display the full version of that video stream in display portion
526), PECB 410 may provide a control signal to the video camera
that is providing that video stream. The control signal instructs
the video camera to change the level of quality with which the
video stream is being provided (e.g., from low quality to high
quality, from high quality to low quality, and the like).
[0135] The control signaling between PECB 410 and video cameras
available at emergency site 101 may be implemented in any manner.
In one embodiment, for example, control signaling between PECB 410
and video cameras available at emergency site 101 may be
implemented as depicted and described in U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/862,321, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING
VIDEO STREAMS", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety. The control signaling between PECB 410 and video cameras
for facilitating display of video streams in the display portion
526 when VIDEO tab 522 is selected may be implemented in various
other ways.
[0136] FIG. 9 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON SITE
and TRACKING tabs selected. As depicted in FIG. 9, selection of ON
SITE tab 513 (or UNITS tab 512) in control portion 511 and TRACKING
tab 523 in control portion 521 results in the display of tracking
graphics in display portion 526. The tracking graphics may include
any graphics which may be useful in tracking locations (and
movements) of emergency response units (and individual emergency
responders) at an emergency site. For example, tracking graphics
may include maps (e.g., geographical maps, topological maps, and
the like), satellite images, building plans, floor plans, and the
like, as well as various combinations thereof. The tracking
graphics may include any other graphics which may be used for
tracking emergency units and emergency personnel at an emergency
site.
[0137] The tracking graphics may be displayed in display portion
526 in any manner. In one embodiment, each of the available
tracking graphics may be initially displayed as an icon. In one
such embodiment, each of the tracking graphics is displayed as a
small icon, thereby leaving room in display portion 526 for larger
versions of the icons to be displayed as needed. In one embodiment,
the size of the icons for the tracking graphics may be adapted in
accordance with the number of tracking graphic icons available for
the display, the size of display portion 526, and like factors. In
one embodiment, each of the icons may be individually selectable,
where selection of one of the tracking graphics icons causes a
larger version of that tracking graphic to be displayed in display
portion 526 (in addition to the tracking graphic icons, in place of
the tracking graphic icons, and the like).
[0138] In one embodiment, a selected tracking graphic (e.g., one
selected such that a larger version of the tracking graphic is
displayed as the primary tracking graphic in display portion 526)
may have an associated toolbar which may be used to perform various
functions. In one such embodiment, for example, the toolbar may
support zoom in/out functions, scrolling functions, highlighter
functions (e.g., for highlighting specific areas of the tracking
graphic), editing functions (e.g., for making notes on the tracking
graphic, for modifying the tracking graphic as needed, and the
like), and the like, as well as various combinations thereof. In
such embodiments, the toolbar may support any other functions which
may be associated with such a graphic.
[0139] In one embodiment, location tracking information may be
overlaid on one or more of the tracking graphics such that the
emergency commander can track the movements of units, the movements
of individual emergency responders, and the like, as well as
various combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the overlay of
location tracking information may be performed manually. In another
embodiment, the overlay of location tracking information may be
performed automatically (e.g., using location tracking technology).
For example, the location tracking information that is overlaid on
tracking graphics may be obtained using GPS tracking information
(e.g., where the emergency responders each have an associated GPS
receiver) or any other location tracking technology.
[0140] As an example, as depicted in FIG. 9, selection of ON SITE
tab 513 in control portion 511 and TRACKING tab 523 in control
portion 521 results in the display of tracking graphics in display
portion 526. The tracking graphics include a plurality of tracking
graphic icons 910.sub.1-910.sub.3 associated with the emergency
site (i.e., the County Library), each of which is adapted for being
selected to display a larger version of that tracking graphic.
Specifically, the tracking graphics icons 910.sub.1-910.sub.3
include a map of the area in which the County Library is located, a
map of the floor plan of the County Library, and a topographical
map of area in which the library is located. As depicted in FIG. 9,
tracking graphic 910.sub.1 has been selected, thereby resulting in
display of a larger version of that tracking graphic (denoted as
920).
[0141] FIG. 10 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON
SITE and SENSORS tabs selected. As depicted in FIG. 10, with ON
SITE tab 513 (or UNITS tab 512) selected in control portion 511 and
SENSORS tab 524 selected in control portion 521, selection of a
portion of the accountability hierarchy in display portion 516
results in display of associated monitoring status information in
display portion 526. The monitoring status information includes
status information from monitoring devices (e.g., any of the
sensors, detectors, or other monitoring devices) associated with
emergency personnel that are carrying such monitoring devices or
have such monitoring devices in their emergency equipment.
[0142] As an example, as depicted in FIG. 10, with ON SITE tab 513
selected in control portion 511 and SENSORS tab 524 selected in
control portion 521, the County Library folder has been selected in
display portion 516. Since the County Library folder includes
subfolders associated with each of the different units deployed at
the County Library, selection of this combination results in the
display (in display portion 526) of monitoring status information
at the unit level. Specifically, a monitoring status table 1010 is
displayed in the display portion 526. The monitoring status table
1010 displays monitoring status information for each of the units
deployed.
[0143] As displayed in FIG. 10, monitoring status table 1010
includes rows for each of the units for which monitoring status is
presented (in this example, for units E4, L1, E6, E9, and L18 which
are deployed at the County Library fire) and columns for each of
the different types of monitoring devices which may be carried by
the emergency responders of the units for which the monitoring
status information is presented (in this example, for a
self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), a personal alert safety
system (PASS), a gas detector (GAS), an outside temperature sensor
(TEMP), and a heart rate monitor (HEART)).
[0144] The monitoring status for a particular unit and a particular
monitoring category may be determined from a status indicator at
the intersection of the associated row and column of monitoring
status table 1010. The status for each of the monitoring categories
may be indicated in many ways. In one embodiment, color coding may
be used to indicate status (e.g., shading cells of monitoring
status table 1010 using different colors to indicate different
types of status). For example, green, orange, and red may be used
to indicate different status levels (e.g., normal conditions,
moderately unsafe conditions, and dangerous conditions,
respectively). In one such embodiment, if there is no status
available for a particular unit and a particular category,
monitoring status is not provided (e.g., the associated cell of the
monitoring status table 1010 may be left white, grayed out, and the
like).
[0145] As depicted in FIG. 10, in monitoring status table 1010,
SCBA status is displayed for each of units E4, L1, E6, and E9, PASS
status is displayed for each of units E4, L1, E6, and E9, GAS
status is displayed for each of units E4 and L1, TEMP status is
displayed for each of units E4, L1, E6, and E9, and HEART status is
displayed for each of units E4, L1, E6, and E9. There is no GAS
status displayed for units E6 and E9 because the gas detectors
carried by the emergency responders of those units are not active
or none of the emergency responders of either of those units is
carrying a gas detector. Similarly, there is no status (in any of
the five monitoring categories) for unit L18 because the gas
detectors carried by the emergency responders of those units are
not active or none of the emergency responders of that unit are
carrying any of the different monitoring devices for which status
is displayed.
[0146] As depicted in FIG. 10, for unit E4, the SCBA status for the
unit as a whole is green, the PASS status for the unit as a whole
is green, the GAS status for the unit as a whole is orange, and the
TEMP and HEART statuses for the unit as a whole are both red.
Similarly, for unit L1, the SCBA, PASS, GAS, and HEART statuses for
the unit as a whole are all green, however, the TEMP status for the
unit as a whole is orange. Similar status indicators are displayed
in monitoring status table 1010 for some of the different
monitoring categories for some of the other units deployed to the
County Library for the fire. This is similar to the status
information that is displayed in display portion 516 when the ON
SITE tab 513 is selected from control portion 511 (however, display
of monitoring status in display portion 516 may enable the
emergency commander to obtain some additional monitoring status
information.
[0147] In one embodiment, for example, each cell of monitoring
status table 1010 may be individually selectable to obtain
additional information about the selected cell. For example,
selection of the cell associated with GAS status for unit E4 may
result in display of respective GAS statuses for each of the
members of the unit E4. For example, selection of the cell
associated with SCBA status for unit E6 may result in display of
respective SCBA statuses for each of the members of unit E6. The
other cells of the monitoring status table 1010 (including row
header cells and column header cells) may be selected to display
the associated monitoring status information.
[0148] FIG. 10 depicts monitoring status information displayed at
the unit level. In one embodiment, monitoring status information
may be displayed at the emergency personnel level. In one
embodiment, personnel-level status monitoring information may be
displayed in display portion 526 by selecting one of the unit
folders from the organizational hierarchy displayed in display
portion 516. In one embodiment, the different units displayed in
monitoring status table 1010 may be selectable (e.g., double
clicking the row, highlighting the row and initiating some other
action, and the like), causing personnel-level monitoring status
information for each of the individual emergency responders of the
selected unit to be displayed (e.g., broken out into monitoring
status for each emergency responder associated with the selected
unit). An example is depicted and described with respect to FIG.
11.
[0149] FIG. 11 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON
SITE and SENSORS tabs selected. As depicted in FIG. 10, with ON
SITE tab 513 (or UNITS tab 512) selected in control portion 511 and
SENSORS tab 524 selected in control portion 521, selection of a
portion of the accountability hierarchy in display portion 516
results in display of associated monitoring status information in
display portion 526. As in the example of FIG. 10, the monitoring
status information includes status information from monitoring
devices (e.g., any of the sensors, detectors, or other monitoring
devices) associated with emergency personnel that are carrying such
monitoring devices or have such monitoring devices in their
emergency equipment.
[0150] As an example, as depicted in FIG. 11, with ON SITE tab 513
selected in control portion 511 and SENSORS tab 524 selected in
control portion 521, the E4 unit folder has been selected in
display portion 516 (or, alternatively, the E4 unit row of the
monitoring status table 1010 has been selected from display portion
526). Since the E4 unit includes four emergency personnel (Chuck P,
Dorel L, John L, and Thierry K) selection of this combination
results in the display (in display portion 526) of monitoring
status information for each of these emergency personnel at the
individual level. As depicted in FIG. 11, a monitoring status table
1110 is displayed in the display portion 526.
[0151] The monitoring status table 1110 of FIG. 11 is similar to
the monitoring status table 1010 of FIG. 10. As displayed in FIG.
11, monitoring status table 1110 includes rows for each emergency
responder of unit E4 and columns for each of the different types of
monitoring devices which may be carried by the emergency responders
of unit E4 (illustratively, SCBA, PASS, GAS, TEMP, and HEART). As
described with respect to monitoring status table 1010 of FIG. 10,
the monitoring status for a particular emergency responder and a
particular monitoring category may be determined from a status
indicator at the intersection of the associated row and column of
monitoring status table 1110, and the status for each of the
monitoring categories may be indicated in many ways (e.g., color
coding, shading, and the like).
[0152] As depicted in FIG. 11, different emergency responders may
carry different combinations of monitoring devices (e.g., Chuck P,
Dorel L, John L, and Thierry K are each carrying SCBA and PASS
devices; Chuck P, Dorel L, and John L, are each carrying GAS
devices; and Dorel L, John L, and Thierry K are each carrying TEMP
and HEART devices). There is no TEMP status or HEART status
displayed in monitoring status table 1110 for Chuck P because he is
not carrying a temperature sensor or a heart rate monitor and there
is no GAS status displayed in monitoring status table 1110 for
Thierry K because he is not carrying a gas detector.
[0153] As depicted in FIG. 11, the emergency commander can
determine the monitoring status for each of the members of unit E4.
For Chuck P, the SCBA status and PASS status are both green and the
GAS status is orange. For Dorel L, the SCBA, PASS, GAS, TEMP, and
HEART statuses are all green. For John L, the SCBA, PASS, GAS, and
TEMP statues are green, and the HEART status is red. For Thierry K,
the SCBA and PASS statuses are green, and the TEMP and HEART
statuses are both red. This is similar to the status information
that is displayed in display portion 516 when the ON SITE tab 513
is selected from control portion 511, however, display of the
monitoring status in display portion 516 may enable the emergency
commander to obtain some additional monitoring status
information.
[0154] In one embodiment, for example, each cell of monitoring
status table 1110 may be individually selectable to obtain
additional information about the selected cell. For example,
selection of an individual cell may result in display of
information such as the type of monitoring device, the connection
time of the monitoring device, the current (or most recent) value
read by monitoring device, historical information about values read
by the monitoring device (e.g., graphs or other graphics indicative
of evolution of the values of the monitoring device over time),
configuration information associated with the monitoring device
(e.g., current threshold values that are set for the monitoring
device), and the like, as well as various combinations thereof.
[0155] For example, selection of the cell of monitoring status
table 1110 that is associated with GAS status for Chuck P may
result in display of information for the gas detector that is being
carried by Chuck P, such as the type of gas detector being used,
information about the connection of the gas detector to the
network, the current gas readings from the gas detector, threshold
values currently being used by the gas detector for determining the
monitoring status, historical gas readings from the gas detector,
and the like, as well as various combinations thereof. Similarly,
for example, selection of any of the other cells of monitoring
status table 1110 (including row and column headers) result in
display of similar types of information (and possibly other
information).
[0156] As depicted and described herein with respect to FIG. 10 and
FIG. 11, monitoring status information may be presented in many
ways (e.g., using tables, color coding, and the like, as well as
various combinations thereof). Furthermore, the appropriate status
levels that are ultimately presented via SENSORS tab 524 (and,
optionally, via display portion 516, depending on the type of
status information displayed in accountability window 510 when ON
SITE tab 513 is selected) may be determined in many ways (which may
vary depending on a number of factors, such as the level at which
the monitoring status information is needed, the monitoring
categories for which monitoring status may be needed, and the
like).
[0157] In one embodiment, at the unit level, the monitoring status
level may be determined using a combination of the corresponding
status levels for each of the emergency responders that belong to
that unit. In one such embodiment, the monitoring status level may
be combined within monitoring categories. For example, as depicted
in FIG. 10, SCBA status for unit E4 is green, and this is
determined using the SCBA status levels for each of the members of
unit E4 (namely, Chuck P, Dorel L, John L, and Thierry K).
Similarly, PASS status for unit E6 is red, and this is determined
using the PASS status levels for each of the members of unit E6.
Similarly, for example, there is no status for any of the
monitoring categories for unit L18 (e.g., none of the emergency
personnel of unit L18 are carrying any monitoring devices, the
devices carried by emergency personnel of unit L18 are not
currently active, and the like).
[0158] The rules for determining a monitoring status level for a
group (e.g., unit, battalion, and the like) using the corresponding
monitoring status levels associated with the emergency personnel of
the group may be implemented in many ways. In one embodiment, for
example, using green, orange, and red status levels described above
(for one particular monitoring category): (1) if the monitoring
status is green for all emergency responders in the unit, the
monitoring status that is displayed for that monitoring category at
the unit level is green; (2) if the monitoring status is orange for
one or more emergency responders in the unit (but none of the
monitoring statuses is red), the monitoring status that is
displayed for that monitoring category at the unit level is orange;
and (3) if the monitoring status is red for one or more emergency
responders in the unit, the monitoring status level that is
displayed for that monitoring category at the unit level is red.
The rules may be implemented in various other ways.
[0159] In one embodiment, at the responder level, the appropriate
monitoring status levels may be detected using thresholds
associated with the different monitoring devices. In one
embodiment, for example, when a first threshold is crossed the
monitoring status for that monitoring category changes from a first
status level (e.g., green) to a second status level (e.g., orange)
and when a second threshold is crossed the monitoring status for
the monitoring category changes from the second status level (e.g.,
orange) to a third status level (e.g., red). For example, for a
heart rate monitor, the first threshold may be a heart rate of 100
beats per minute and the second threshold may be a heart rate of
120 beats per minute.
[0160] The thresholds used for controlling status levels may be set
in any manner. The thresholds may be preconfigured and/or
dynamically configured as needed. The thresholds may be set at any
hierarchical level (e.g., at any level of the organizational
hierarchy). For example, thresholds may be set for each individual
monitoring device such that the thresholds are different for
different emergency responders (e.g., based on their abilities or
other similar factors), thresholds may be set at the monitoring
category level such that the thresholds are the same for all
emergency responders that are using that type of monitoring device,
and the like, as well as various combinations thereof. The
thresholds may be set/modified in any other manner (which may vary
based on different factors, such as the type of monitoring device,
preferences of the emergency commander, and the like).
[0161] Although primarily depicted and described with respect to
specific types and numbers of monitoring devices (and, thus,
monitoring categories), status levels, status indicators (e.g.,
specific numbers of colors and specific colors used, mappings of
colors to associated status levels, and the like), status
thresholds, and the like, monitoring status detection and
presentation may be implemented using other types and/or numbers of
monitoring devices, status levels, status indicators, status
thresholds, and the like, as well as various combinations thereof.
The monitoring status capabilities of PECB 410 are not intended to
be limited by any of the examples depicted and described
herein.
[0162] The status information displayed in display portion 516
and/or display portion 526 is received from monitoring devices
associated with emergency responders at the emergency site. The
monitoring status information may be received in any manner, which
may vary depending on the type of monitoring device from which the
status information is being received.
[0163] In one embodiment, PECB 410 may receive raw monitoring
status information and process the raw monitoring status
information in order to generate monitoring status information
displayed in display portion 516 and/or display portion 526. In one
embodiment, PECB 410 may receive processed monitoring status
information and convert the processed monitoring status information
for displayed in display portion 516 and/or display portion 526.
The receiving/processing/conversion of information received from
monitoring devices may be performed in any manner.
[0164] In one embodiment, PECB 410 receives monitoring status
information from monitoring devices irrespective of whether or not
SENSORS tab 524 is selected (e.g., where monitoring status
information is displayed in display portion 516 while ON SITE tab
513 is selected).
[0165] In one embodiment, in which monitoring status information is
not displayed in display portion 516 when the SENSORS tab 524 is
not selected, selection of the SENSORS tab 524 may trigger
propagation of control signals from PECB 410 to each associated
monitoring device (e.g., each monitoring device of each emergency
responder at the emergency site such as in FIG. 10, each monitoring
device of each emergency responder of a unit where a unit is
selected such as in FIG. 11, and the like) to instruct the
monitoring devices to start providing monitoring status
information. In this embodiment, subsequent deselection of the
SENSORS tab triggers propagation of control signals from PECB 410
to each associated monitoring device to instruct the monitoring
devices to stop providing monitoring status information.
[0166] The control signaling between PECB 410 and monitoring
devices at emergency site 101 may be implemented in any manner. In
one embodiment, for example, control signaling between PECB 410 and
video cameras available at emergency site 101 may be implemented as
depicted and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/862,321, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING VIDEO
STREAMS", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety. The control signaling between PECB 410 and monitoring
devices for facilitating display of monitoring status information
in display portion 516 and/or display portion may be implemented in
various other ways.
[0167] FIG. 12 depicts the user interface of FIG. 5 with the ON
SITE and APPLICATIONS tabs selected. As depicted in FIG. 12,
selection of ON SITE tab 513 (or UNITS tab 512) in control portion
511 and APPLICATIONS tab 525 in control portion 521 results in the
display of a list of applications which may be accessed and used by
the emergency commander. The applications available from PECB 410
may include any applications which may be useful to emergency
commanders at an emergency site. For example, applications
available from PECB may include Internet browsers, file transfer
applications, instant messaging applications, emergency site
management applications (e.g., ON-SCENE EXPLORER, ADASHI, AIMS ON
SCENE, other similar applications), and the like, as well as
various combinations thereof.
[0168] In one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 12, with ON SITE tab
513 (or UNITS tab 512) selected in control portion 511, selection
of APPLICATIONS tab 525 from the control portion 521 results in the
display of a list of available applications in the display portion
526. The available applications may be displayed in any manner
(e.g., as links, as icons, and the like). The available
applications are individually selectable from display portion 526.
The available applications may be selected in any manner. The
selection of an available application causes the application to be
launched (e.g., in display portion 526, in a separate window, and
the like).
[0169] In the example of FIG. 12, five applications are displayed
and available for selection from the display portion 526: Internet,
File Transfer, ONSCENE XPLORER, ADASHI, and AIMS ON SCENE. The five
available applications are displayed in display portion 526 as a
list of links. As depicted in FIG. 12, selection of one of the
applications causes the selected application to be launched.
Specifically, in the example of FIG. 12, an Internet browsing
application has been selected, causing the Internet browsing
application to be launched and the associated Internet browser
window to be displayed in the display portion 526.
[0170] Although primarily depicted and described with respect to
specific applications, various other applications may be made
available via display portion 526 while APPLICATIONS tab 525 is
selected. Although primarily depicted and described with respect to
launching one application via display portion 526, multiple
applications may be launched via display portion 526 while
APPLICATIONS tab 525 is selected. The available applications may be
displayed in other ways, selected in other ways, and launched in
other ways, and the resulting application windows may be displayed
in many ways. In other words, any number of applications may be
accessed and utilized by the emergency commander via APPLICATIONS
tab 525.
[0171] Although depicted and described herein with respect to
specific numbers and configurations of windows, control portions,
display portions, and the like, user interface 500 of PECB 410 may
be implemented using various other numbers and configurations of
windows, control portions, display portions, and the like. The user
interface 500 of PECB 410 may be implemented in a manner for
displaying less information, more information, and/or different
information than depicted and described herein. The user interface
500 of PECB 410 may be implemented in a manner for presenting such
information in different ways (e.g., presenting different
combinations of information, different formatting of the
information, and the like, as well as various combinations
thereof). Thus, user interface 500 of PECB 410 may be implemented
such that information depicted and described herein as being
displayed and controlled in specific ways may be displayed and
controlled in various other ways.
[0172] Although primarily depicted and described with respect to a
specific types of information which may be presented and controlled
via the user interface of PECB 410, various other types of
information may be presented and controlled via the user interface
of PECB 410. The types of information presented and controlled via
the user interface of PECB 410 may be different for different types
of situations in which PECB 410 is used.
[0173] For example, the types of information presented and
controlled via the user interface of PECB 410 may be different for
different types of emergency response organizations (e.g., the
information required to manage emergency situations may be
different for fire departments, police departments, hazmat units,
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), and the like, as well as various
combinations thereof).
[0174] For example, the types of information presented and
controlled via the user interface of PECB 410 may be different for
different types of events at which a 911-NOW network may be
deployed and controlled via PECB 410 (e.g., the information
required to manage emergency response events, large-crowd events,
military applications, and the like, may be different for such
different events).
[0175] In such embodiments, different accountability information
may be presented and controlled, different types and numbers of
video streams may be presented and controlled (e.g., via VIDEO tab
522 or one or more other tabs), different types of maps and
information may be presented and controlled (e.g., via TRACKING tab
523 or one or more other tabs), status for different types of
monitoring devices may be presented and controlled (e.g., via
SENSORS tab 524 or one or more other tabs), different types of
applications may be supported (e.g., via APPLICATIONS tab 525 or
one or more other tabs). Furthermore, less or more information, as
well as various other types and combinations of information, may be
supported via the user interface of PECB 410.
[0176] Thus, the user interface depicted and described herein with
respect to FIG. 6-FIG. 12 merely constitutes one exemplary
implementation associated with the deployment of the New York Fire
Department to a fire at a County Library. The PECB 410 is not
intended to be limited by this example. The format of the user
interface of PECB 410 is not intended to be limited by this
example. Similarly, the types of information presented and
controlled, the manner in which the information is presented and
controlled, and the like, are not intended to be limited by this
example.
[0177] FIG. 13 depicts a method according to one embodiment.
Specifically, method 1300 includes a method for presenting
information via a user interface of a portable electronic command
board (PECB). Although primarily depicted and described herein as
being performed serially, at least a portion of the steps of method
1300 may be performed contemporaneously, or in a different order
than depicted and described with respect to FIG. 13. The method
1300 begins at step 1302 and proceeds to step 1304.
[0178] At step 1304, event information is received. The event
information may include any information associated with the event
(as depicted and described herein in FIG. 4-FIG. 12). The event
information may be received from any source. For example, event
information may be received via a user interface of the PECB, from
different devices that are deployed at the event (e.g., cell
phones, headsets, walkie-talkies, sensors, and the like), via the
Internet, and the like, as well as various combinations
thereof.
[0179] At step 1306, accountability information is displayed. At
step 1308, communications information is displayed. At step 1310,
monitoring status information is displayed. At step 1311 (an
optional step, depending on which combination of tabs is selected
on the PECB), other types of information may be displayed. The
information may be displayed in any manner for displaying such
information. The display of such information may be better
understood by way of reference to FIG. 4-FIG. 12.
[0180] At step 1312, the displayed information may be controlled to
manage the event. The information may be controlled in any manner,
which depends on the design of the user interface as well as the
manner in which information is displayed. For example, the
information may be controlled using one or more of "drag and drop"
operations, "point and click" operations, and the like, as well as
any other way of manipulating the display of information.
[0181] For example, accountability information may be displayed a
manner tending to enable rapid redeployment of at least one unit at
the event. For example, the event commander may drag and drop
different units between different folders corresponding to
different functions to be performed at the event, thereby enabling
the event commander to easily track accountability during the
course of the event. This may also be used to track deployment
locations during the course of the event (e.g., where the
accountability at the event is organized according to different
locations at the event).
[0182] For example, communications information may be displayed in
a manner tending to enable modification of communications
assignments at the event. For example, the event command may drag
and drop units between calling groups to reassign units to
different calling groups as needed. This enables the event
commander to track which units belong to which calling groups. This
also enables the event commander to initiate communications with
individual calling groups, or even with all members of all units
that are deployed to the event.
[0183] For example, communications information may be displayed in
a manner tending to enable modification of communications
capabilities at the event. For example, the event command may drag
and drop units between calling groups to reassign units to
different calling groups as needed, which may trigger automatic
reconfiguration of the underlying communications network (e.g., by
modifying calling groups configured on a voice conferencing server,
by adding/deleting network connections as needed, and the like, as
well as various combinations thereof).
[0184] For example, status information may be displayed in
conjunction with the accountability information and the
communication information in a manner that enables an event
commander to the accountability of at least a portion of the unit,
based on at least a portion of the displayed status information,
using at least a portion of the displayed communication
information. For example, where monitoring status information
received from monitoring devices carried by members of a unit
indicate fatigue of the members, the event commander may reassign
the unit from a first location (fighting a fire) to a second
location (a rest area) using a calling group (clicking the calling
group to enable the event commander to speak to each of the members
of the unit to tell them to head to the rest area).
[0185] Although specific examples have been described, it will be
understood that the displayed information may be controlled to
manage the event in many other ways. Additional examples are
depicted and described with respect to FIG. 4-FIG. 12.
[0186] From step 1312, method 1300 returns to step 1304. In other
words, event information continues to be received and displayed in
a manner tending to enable control of the information for
dynamically managing the event. Thus, the PECB provides a single
command and control interface by which an event commander may
manage operations at the event.
[0187] FIG. 14 depicts a high-level block diagram of a
general-purpose computer suitable for use in performing the
functions described herein. As depicted in FIG. 14, system 1400
comprises a processor element 1402 (e.g., a CPU), a memory 1404,
e.g., random access memory (RAM) and/or read only memory (ROM), a
portable electronic control board module 1405, and various
input/output devices 1406 (e.g., storage devices, including but not
limited to, a tape drive, a floppy drive, a hard disk drive or a
compact disk drive, a receiver, a transmitter, a speaker, a
display, an output port, and a user input device (such as a
keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, and the like)).
[0188] It should be noted that various functions and features
described herein may be implemented using software and/or a
combination of software and hardware, e.g., using application
specific integrated circuits (ASIC), a general purpose computer or
any other hardware equivalents. In one embodiment, the present
portable electronic control board process 1405 can be loaded into
memory 1404 and executed by processor 1402 to implement the
functions as discussed above. As such, portable electronic control
board process 1405 (including associated data structures) can be
stored on a computer readable medium or carrier, e.g., RAM memory,
magnetic or optical drive or diskette, and the like.
[0189] Although primarily depicted and described herein with
respect to using rapidly deployable nodes (such as 911-NOW nodes
depicted and described herein) to deploy a wireless network in
emergency response situations, rapidly deployable nodes may be used
to deploy a wireless network in various other situations. In one
embodiment, rapidly deployable nodes may be used in large-crowd
environments. For example, rapidly deployable nodes may be deployed
during large-crowd events, such as sporting events (e.g., in a city
hosting the Super Bowl, in a city hosting the Olympics, and the
like), concerts, and the like. In one embodiment, rapidly
deployable nodes may be used as a rapid replacement network for
commercial cellular networks (i.e., to replace existing network
infrastructure while such infrastructure is unavailable). In one
embodiment, rapidly deployable nodes may be used in military
environments (e.g., to form a rapidly deployable network on the
battlefield or in other situations).
[0190] Therefore, rapidly deployable nodes as depicted and
described herein are useful for various other applications in
addition to emergency response applications, and, thus, may be
deployed in various other situations in addition to emergency
situations. Thus, the term "emergency site", which is used herein
to denote the geographical location in which one or more rapidly
deployable nodes may be deployed to form a wireless network, may be
more commonly referred to as a "network site" (i.e., the site at
which the rapidly deployable wireless network is deployed to
support wireless communications). Similarly, other terms primarily
associated with emergency applications may be referred to more
generally depending upon the application in which rapidly
deployable nodes are deployed. In other words, any number of
rapidly deployable nodes as depicted and described herein may be
deployed to any geographical location to form a wireless network
for any reason.
[0191] Although the PECB functions are primarily depicted and
described herein within the context of using the PECB to manage a
911-NOW network deployed to provide communications for an emergency
event, the PECB functions depicted and described herein may be used
to manage 911-NOW networks deployed to provide communications for
various other types of events. Although the PECB functions are
primarily depicted and described herein within the context of using
the PECB to manage a 911-NOW network, the PECB functions depicted
and described herein may be used to manage various other types of
networks.
[0192] It is contemplated that some of the steps discussed herein
as software methods may be implemented within hardware, for
example, as circuitry that cooperates with the processor to perform
various method steps. Portions of the functions and features
described herein may be implemented as a computer program product
wherein computer instructions, when processed by a computer, adapt
the operation of the computer such that the methods and/or
techniques are invoked or otherwise provided. Instructions for
invoking the methods may be stored in fixed or removable media,
transmitted via a data stream in a broadcast or other signal
bearing medium, and/or stored within a working memory within a
computing device operating according to the instructions.
[0193] Although various embodiments which incorporate the teachings
of the present invention have been shown and described in detail
herein, those skilled in the art can readily devise many other
varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings.
* * * * *